Finally Friday

This week has seemed to drag on, and on, and on.  But...it is Friday!  Friday before Labor Day.  Friday before a long weekend! 

Managed to get caught up on all of my grading tonight, which was AWESOME!  Still have to do lesson plans, but LA are practically done, and Social Studies for Monday should be easy.  So even if I have to complete the others later, I'll be in good shape.  However, I left my flash drive at school so I can't do them tonight even had I wanted to.

First case of blatant, 100% verifiable cheating since I started teaching...and the student had the audacity to lie to my face and another teacher's face about it.  I don't understand how kids can think that is ok...

Looking forward to a weekend of catching up with family and friends!

Thankful Thursday

Things for which I'm thankful (in no particular order other than when they popped into my head):

1) Supernatural strength
2) cell phones
3) long weekends
4) ibuprofen
5) no copy limits in August
6) parent donated copy paper
7) body pillows
8) Jonathan
9) cough drops
10) dreams
11) serious conversations
12) water
13) air conditioning
14) tears
15) a roommate
16) pictures
17) candles
18) letters
19) comfy t-shirts
20) showers
21) smooth legs
22) getting work done
23) chocolate hazelnut spread
24) sisters
25) blankets

Wanderings of a Wednesday

All kinds of randomness today...

--Did 222 "spelling" jumping jacks with my kids
--Helped move a kidney table and adjust the leg height.  Was told by one of the (Hispanic) movers who stopped and took the other teacher's end of the table: "You're a strong lady" ;-)
--Made over 4000 copies because we don't have quotas until September
--Got gas because I was getting pretty close to empty
--Took Saundra home from Journey Group because she had broken her arm and couldn't drive...almost got lost on the way back...twice!
--Chatted with Grace
--Chatted with Kristin
--Got an unexpected phone call from Jonathan.

Pretty good day, overall.

Routine setting

Thankful for the opportunity to establish routines today.  Awoke at 6.  Got ready, ate breakfast, had a quiet time, checked email, headed to work.  At work by 7:30.  Made some copies and prepared for class.  Taught (who'd have thought, right?) until 1:40 when the kids had related arts.  Made some more copies.  Picked up the kids.  Worked dismissal (finally over at 3:30).  Headed to the gym.  Paid my membership renewal.  Swam 1.5 miles.  Showered.  Got home around 6.  Definitely doable!  And tonight is a phone call night.  Hooray!

Headfirst

Plunging back into school headfirst.  I created a schedule of school, workouts, work, and evening activities that should (hopefully) get my life situated to some sort of normal order.  No more of this crazy emotional rollercoaster stuff.  By God's grace, and through resolve only He can help me fulfill, this WILL be a good school year.  Made only better by the breaks along the way.  And by the future that lies ahead.

Choosing thankfulness.  Period.

Starting Fresh

With a new schedule, a new outlook, renewed purpose.

I can do this.

But only with God's help.

Waiting patiently in expectant hope...

A time to REST!

Today was very low key; and definitely what I needed.  Did a couple loads of laundry, ran to Aldi, and stayed in bed most of the day.  Chatted and talked with Jonathan--so good to catch up with him.  Hard being here, missing him, but I'm counting down the days until Christmas break!

Tasting to see

Last night, Jonathan challenged me to consider whether I was turning to God first with my hurt and struggles.  Was I boldly approaching the throne of grace when I needed help or first asking him to help or pray for me?  Upon reflection, I realized that sometimes I was not turning to God first on my own.  And that was definitely a well needed kick in the pants.

So, anyway, today was another crazy day at school. Better than yesterday, but still some kinks to iron out. On the way to work, the Lord brought a really encouraging Scripture to mind. Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."

Meditating on this truth really did help a lot today for me to keep my perspective where it needs to be.  On God, on His perfect plan for my life, on my purpose to glorify Him. So, yeah.  Thankful it is Friday.  Thankful God is good.  Thankful for the opportunity to receive a rebuke and let God use it to impact the way I see life.

First day of school!

Getting up an extra half hour early this morning was hard!  I know once I establish a routine (and once I no longer am doing both morning and afternoon duty and therefore can arrive a little later) it will be much easier, but I woke up a lot last night and so I was still pretty tired when my alarm went off this morning.  I was not only physically tired but emotional, and was fighting tears all the way to work.

Then, after rushing around to get to school by 7, the door wasn't even opened until 7:25, so we stood out on the sidewalk again, waiting to be let in, feeling more and more nervous as time went on.  Finally made it into our classrooms 5 minutes before we had to report for duty.  After duty, running back to the classroom to find my students already inside and ready to go.  YIKES!

The actual instructional time during the day went fairly well.  We did a lot of getting to know you and unpacking and pretests, so the time passed quickly.  Dismissal, however, was a totally different story.  With a new campus and many more new kids than ever before, the dismissal took over 90 minutes!  It seemed like total chaos. 

Hoping and praying tomorrow goes more smoothly.  It has to, after how crazy today was, right?  Thankful that God is good and faithful even when the world goes nuts!

A day to breathe

Today was a much slower paced day at school.  Other than getting locked out in the morning, there was really not a whole lot of much interest that happened.  Since open house was already done, teachers were able to use the day for planning or anything that did not get completed in time for the open house, but since we wanted our rooms to look as awesome as possible the previous night, many of us did not have much left to do.  I ended up spending most of the day in Susan's room, helping assemble shelves and just chatting about the upcoming year.  I had been so stressed the day before that it was literally difficult for me to even focus on one thing at school.  Praise God for days to breathe!

After school, I went home to relax for a little while before heading to Journey Group.  It was great to see people and hear how their weeks have been going.  We spent a good deal of time in prayer for different health, family, and spiritual needs before studying some more of Job. 

Headed home and was able to chat a little with Jonathan before he went to church.  For some reason, our phones have been sending weird duplicate messages (particularly his) which can make it slightly difficult to determine what is going on in the conversation, but as I have said multiple times, I'd rather be confused and chatting than not :-).

119 calendar days until Christmas break begins!  And sometime during that break I get to see Jonathan!!!

Open House

Today was the day of insanity, AKA Open House at YPA.  Fortunately, with all of the work I've gotten done over the past few days, I was able to have my classroom fully ready by 2:00 pm.  We weren't supposed to leave school that early, so I sat and knitted for about an hour because my brain needed to decompress.  Then I went home for a short nap before heading back to the school shortly before 6.  Throughout the afternoon and evening I was able to text back and forth with Jonathan's mom, which was a lot of fun, and good to catch up with her and compare notes on how we're surviving with him in Arizona.

Open House didn't officially start until 6:30, but there were parents already there at 6, and I had non-stop groups of parents and students to talk to until past 7:30.  Fortunately, our administrator came down to shoo parents out of the rooms at the end so we could leave.  So thankful!  And especially grateful for a full day of planning tomorrow before students come on Thursday.  It will be a much needed day of a little less stress.

Well, that's the pertinent info of what I did today, but I would be remiss if I didn't share the verse that spoke to me today in my quiet time.  1 Timothy 4:10: "This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers." (NLT).  Praying that God would be my hope each and every day. 

All the Odds and Ends

Today was spent doing all sorts of odds and ends at school.  From a Common Core meeting about English/Literacy to working on filing in my classroom to making nametags for student desks to parent meetings to SPED meetings to knitting while I waited for some teachers to finish using my room for an impromptu discussion to sorting and organizing curriculum for our team, I was on my toes for the majority of the day. 

I did take a lunch break and enjoyed time with Laura R. and her classroom helpers :-).  That was fun.  However, in spite of all my productivity, one of the main things that needed to be done (finishing up paperwork for Open House) didn't happen because computers are still not set up at school.  So, I'm going to have to bring my laptop tomorrow and hook up to my personal printer so that all will be ready in time.  Oh well.

Went to Dollar Tree and Walmart on the way home to pick up classroom supplies (like surge protectors and garbage cans...details...).  Then home to make dinner...spaghetti with homemade sauce and green beans.  It is so nice to have a roommate so that I don't have to cook for only myself!  Busy day, but one more completed on the road to Christmas break :-).

Commissioned to Discipleship

Pastor Jay talked today about Matthew 28:16-20.  This is a familiar passage called the Great Commission, in which Christ tells his disciples to go out and make disciples for him.  That is the one purpose, the one goal of the church, and the purpose of all of the members of the body.  Even though it is difficult to see or understand the point of me being in Rock Hill this year, I know that the purpose is to make disciples.  So difficult to focus on that sometimes, but that does not change the truth of the matter.

It has been easy for me to focus on my dissatisfaction with my job or how much I miss Jonathan, and while those are both true and reasonable emotions, it is not wise to let my emotions dictate my actions.  I learned this lesson last semester when there were times I allowed my emotions to consume me. Then, when I decided to just stop thinking about the sermon, Jonathan asked me if I had been meditating on it, which of course brought it to mind again. So, all of that was a well-needed kick in the pants to push me beyond the boundaries of selfish thinking this morning.

God is so gracious.  Even in considering how I can fulfill that commission I was quickly becoming discouraged that no matter how much time and effort I put into my job, I still seem to make little impact on my students for eternity.  While I was still thinking these thoughts, Gretta started chatting with me online and reminded me how much we often don't see the results of our labor on earth.  This sweet sister was such a blessing to me, encouraging me and motivating me to keep pushing forward.  I thank God for friendships like the one He has blessed me with in her.

Busy Bee

I feel like I was buzzing here there and everywhere today.  Worked for about 5 hours in the classroom and made huge progress.  Was encouraged to be able to text and talk with Jonathan for part of the time while I worked, which made the time go much faster.  Drove home so we could Skype for awhile since he was going to be in town getting groceries and could get wifi.  Good to see his face, even if it was a little blurry.

Ran errands to get groceries of my own, and did my laundry.  Started working on a new knitting project.  Caught up on my blog a little.  Still somewhere in that managed to have enough down time to let everything hit me again.  I thought yesterday I was over the crying thing...guess not.  But it is getting better.  Slowly but surely.  Thankful for all I do have.  I have been blessed so far beyond what I could ever deserve, and if I had to go back and relive these past 8 months I wouldn't change a thing.  Wouldn't hurt as much if I didn't care as much...but it is a trade-off I'm willing to make =).

Re-beginning

Ribbon cutting ceremony today at school.  A re-beginning of sorts, two years after the school first opened.  We had department and team meetings this morning, then worked in my classroom for a few hours before the ceremony started.  Afterward, it was difficult to keep on task in the room because many families were walking through the halls, meeting teachers and looking at the new buildings.  But I did manage to get some more done.  I'll have to come back tomorrow and really put in a few hard hours to get caught up to where I should be, but I know it will be doable.

I didn't cry today, which was the first tearless day this week.  It is really interesting; over the past 3 days as my pain has been sharp, I've had several friends and family members go through really difficult circumstances in their own personal lives.  While I wouldn't wish that on any of them, it has been cool to watch God use it to help me focus on others not just on myself.  I pray that as this new chapter in my life opens I will continue to stay tender to the Spirit's prompting.  Back to square one.  I'm re-beginning.  And it is good. 

Get on your feet!

So hard to get out of bed this morning.  I wanted to stay and hug my body pillow close and pretend yesterday didn't happen.  But, the real world called, and I grudgingly answered.  Called Mom on the way to work, and cried and let her pray for me.  I love my mom.

More meetings today.  Went and picked up supplies from Present Perfect during the lunch break.  Didn't get a whole lot accomplished in my room, but was able to keep my focus at school (for the most part).  Thankful for friends like Suzanne who encourage me when I am down with texts and phone calls.

Went home, texted with Jonathan after he got off work, and he was able to call for a little while, which was nice.  Wore my retainers for the first time all summer...boy do those things hurt when you leave them out for awhile!  But I'd trade retainer pain for heartache any day.  Just going to keep putting one foot in front of the other and depending on God to keep clearing a path for me.

Parting is such [un]sweet sorrow....

Took Jonathan to the airport this morning.  We left Rock Hill around 5 am and drove up to the Charlotte airport.  Went in with him while he checked in.  Said goodbye.  Cried.  Turned around and walked away (probably the hardest thing I've ever done).  Cried some more.  Drove home.  Cried.  Talked with him as he waited to board while still crying.  Talked with Suzanne who was gracious enough to let me sob on her shoulder through the phone as well.  Collected myself to the best of my ability and went to work, thankful for the distraction it provided from the heartache of saying goodbye.

Meetings all morning at school.  Thankfully, Grace came up and met me around 1:30 to go get all of my stuff for my classroom out of the storage unit and move it to the school (Elmo is seriously a wonderful truck).  Headed home shortly after unloading the last boxes because we were both exhausted.  Talked with Jonathan who had arrived in Arizona safely and was headed towards Grandview.  Went to Journey Group and was blessed to reunite with so many good friends there.  Stopped by Walmart on the way home to get brownie supplies and milk (Grace decided we both needed chocolate).  Talked with Jonathan some more while he drove (it is a 5 hour drive from Pheonix...long way by yourself after flying and running errands all day and changing time zones).  Fell asleep from exhaustion on the couch as I finished up my quiet time.

Rough day.  Thankful for the friends and family God has put around me who helped support me through it.

Moving Day

Today I packed up everything of mine to move back to Rock Hill.  Fortunately, all of my stuff plus all of Jonathan's fit in my car, so only one trip was needed.  Picked up Jonathan around 2 to leave.  After a tearful farewell at his house with his family, we headed to run a couple of last minute errands...picking up prescriptions, going to get the replacement lenses for his glasses, and then setting off for the townhouse to unload and unpack all of my stuff.

Thanks to Nicole's dad, my fan was installed when I arrived, and the light in my closet was fixed as well.  We managed to get me fully unloaded and settled in before we went to dinner at Red Bowl (Jonathan had been talking about how he wanted sushi before he left, and I knew theirs was highly praised).  I had some amazing bourbon chicken and an avocado roll, and he had a whole array of different raw sushis.  Yuck.  But he did also get a California roll, which I tried and which was pretty good.

After dinner, we went to Tom and Suzanne's to hang out before heading to bed.  They graciously allowed Jonathan to stay with them so that when I take him to the airport on Wednesday morning I wouldn't have to drive him all the way up from Clemson.  He flies out of Charlotte at 7 am.  :'(  But I took in every moment we had left and tried really hard to focus on the present joy and not the future separation.

As a side note, it was the 1 month anniversary of us dating :-D.  Thankful for the month we had together before having to be apart for so long.

Monday madness

The last mad dash to get Jonathan packed and his room cleared out before we leave on Tuesday.  Before we got started, I made peanut butter fudge for sustenance throughout the day, and because I knew it would take a long while to set.  Amazing the workout fudge making can give your arms! 

After that was complete, we embarked on the mission for the day.  Lots of packing, hauling, sorting, weighing, repacking, dusting, shredding, running errands...you name it, we did it!  We did take a break in the middle to eat lunch at Brioso's in Clemson, which was delicious, but unfortunately we chose a table right under the A/C and were cold.  Jonathan especially was freezing, which is totally unusual for him--he's such a hot-natured guy.  So, we didn't stick around for long, but definitely enjoyed the delicious meal anyway. 

Stayed for dinner at the Rollins.  Ashley was over again too, and we had some delicious chili compliments of Stephen who made two different types...one with turkey and one with beef.  They were both excellent, but I must say I preferred the beef.  There was also cornbread muffins and for dessert, the fudge and some orange cakeballs Stephen had made...tasted just like an orange creamsicle!  So yummy!

The evening was hard.  Although I had broken down in tears during the afternoon before lunch, it was far worse that night as we started wrapping up the job and the reality of Jonathan leaving started really setting in. Fortunately, I have one very compassionate and understanding boyfriend who patiently comforted me and let me cry as long as I needed to.  Eventually, though, we did have to get back to work and finished up packing the luggage for the trip before I headed home.

Sweet Sunday

So many wonderfulnesses today.  I don't have time to write them all out in detail, so I'm just going to make a list:

1) Scrumptious scones made by Amanda with lemon curd and clotted cream
2) Having my hair straightened by Kristin (I love people playing in/doing my hair)
3) Accompanied to CCC by my boyfriend for the first time ever
4) Introducing Jonathan to my church family
5) Enjoying great worship songs, especially with most of my siblings involved in the music
6) Hearing Brian Bridgeman preach for the first time
7) Eating lunch with Jonathan's family (seriously, some people just shouldn't be so good at cooking...)
8) Resting and digesting during a lazy Sunday afternoon
9) Joining Jonathan at UBC for evening service
10) Chinese for late dinner with Jonathan and his parents.
11) Good night's sleep

Carpe Diem

Yes, seize the day!  Today I spent the entire day doing what I love most: spending time with people I care about deeply, building as many memories as possible before I have to say goodbye and move back to Rock Hill.  It was definitely time well spent.

In the morning, I joined the Rollins family and we went and had a picnic at High Falls Park up on Lake Keowee.  Mr. and Mrs. Rollins, Stephen and his girlfriend Ashley, and Jonathan and I all enjoyed a beautiful morning and afternoon walking out on the fishing dock, playing putt-putt, eating a fantastic meal and judging the first ever canine Olympic diving event (a dog was playing fetch off the end of the boat dock and we were grading his jumps into the water), enjoying the lake both from the shore as well as in the water, and just making the most of the time that we had. 

That evening, I went to the Maguires for dinner and to just spend time knitting and visiting.  Grace came as well, and Rita joined us later on.  I ended up spending the night after the two of them left, though, because a wonderful girl named Gretta was giving me a massage and I felt disinclined to cut it short :-).  I must say, IKEA memory foam sleeper sofas are AMAZING!  Thankful for one of my homes away from home where I always feel loved and welcome.

Day of dining

Although some of today was spent teaching writing lessons, the two main events of the day were meals:  lunch and dinner.  Yes, I know food is important for life and all, but there was a much more important reason for the emphasis on eating: spending time with people I love!

Round 1: a lunch date with Mom at Panchos in Central.  I broke out of my shell and ordered lunch fajitas (which is Mom's typical order there, so I guess I didn't go too hyper on the shell breaking thing).  It was so nice to just have time to sit and chat and catch up before I leave next week.  I have enjoyed spending more time with Mom this summer, but it still feels sometimes like too little.

Round 2: making dinner with Rita and Jonathan for all of the Custer siblings minus Alfred (and of course Jonathan too!) while Mom and Dad were out on their date.  Per Daniel's request we made Western Shrimp Noodle Casserole with regular egg noodles.  For those who have yet to sample such delicate cuisine as WSNC, let me illuminate the corner where confusion may lie.  This most exquisite delicacy is a compilation of everything comfort food:  cheese, noodles, more starch (corn and breadcrumbs), shrimp (ok, well, maybe shrimp wouldn't be typically considered a comfort food, but it is comforting to me!), and mushrooms for good measure.  It was delicious (if I do say so myself) and thoroughly enjoyed by all, as evidenced by the minute amount of leftovers from a double batch after only 6 people partook.  We spent the rest of the evening hanging out with the kiddos and watching the Olympics while I painted Grace's toenails for her.

Superhero day!

Super power #1: Ability to transform "scared" to "swimmer"....

This was the last day of swim lessons for Hannah, and she showed off her super swimming skills to her mother.  So proud of her!

Super power #2:  Ability to clear the closet

I was a super sister and helped Rita go through all of her summer clothing to help weed out the items that no longer fit well or were super worn.  She really likes having second (and sometimes third) opinions to remind her that while she is the fashion queen of the family, she doesn't need enough wardrobes to outfit a nation ;-).

Super power #3: Ability to rescue romance

Jonathan, his brother Stephen, and I rescued his father from the doghouse of forgetting to plan to take Mrs. Rollins out for their anniversary.  Since he had forgotten, we planned and cooked a special dinner (menu compliments of Stephen), arranged a small bouquet of roses and carnations (compliments of Jonathan), and set the table for a romantic dinner for two (compliments of me).  We even used cloth napkins (compliments of Rita driving them over from our house).  We spent the majority of the afternoon planning, shopping, preparing, and arranging this experience, and then we all left the couple to enjoy their meal.

Super power #4: Ability to nail jello to the wall

Allison and I FINALLY connected this summer and went out to dinner.  It was so wonderful to be able to spend time together and talk.  Went and saw the progress on her house too!

Super power #5: Ability to turn shambles into sparkles

Returned to the Rollins to clean up the remnants of the dinner we had prepared.  It was so much fun to turn the kitchen totally around from a huge mess to a clean and organized workspace.  

So, what with all those special powers, all in all, it was just another day in the life of a superhero ;-).

All Afloat!

Today Jonathan, Mrs. Rollins, and I went to Helen, GA to visit the town and go tubing down the river.  I actually went over early and walked with Mrs. Rollins around Rock Creek and Clemson Downs before we left.  It was nice to finally get to spend some time with her...something I've been trying to do for most of the summer but our schedules kept conflicting.

After our walk, we got ready to set out for Helen.  I had never been to the town before, but it is all built in a quaint style with all of the buildings looking like they were transported from a village in the Alps.  We went to the general store and enjoyed browsing all of the old-fashioned wares before having lunch at a restaurant that specialized in cuisine from countries all over Europe.  The food was delicious, and we all ordered things from different countries, a truly "international" experience ;-).

We wandered around the shops for awhile to let our food settle before we headed to the tubing site.  We changed clothes, rented some seriously pink tubes, and set off for a ride (about 2.5 hours) downriver.  Although the water was a bit low in places and it was easy to get stuck, and even though we heard the occasional roll of thunder in the distance, we managed to arrive at the end of the excursion little worse for the wear other than a few scrapes and bruises, and some sore shoulders and necks from trying to get un-stuck when the water was low.

Everything was going well, and we were able to catch the bus back up to our car where we changed back into dry clothing before preparing to leave.  As I finished changing though, I realized that I was actually missing my cell phone.  Thus began the silently panicking search of both my purse and the bag of clothing I had brought as well as the trunk and front of the car.  I "calmly" asked Jonathan and Mrs. Rollins if they had seen my phone.  I asked Jonathan to call my phone to see if we could hear it ring or vibrate.  No such luck.

Finally, as a last ditch effort before all-out panic, I went and asked the attendant if anyone had found a phone in the changing room and turned it in (as far as I could remember, that was the last time I had seen it).  His seemingly odd reply was, "Do you have a sister?"  The question caught me off guard, and I had him repeat it to make sure I had heard him correctly.  "Yes..." I replied.  "What is her name?" he questioned.  "Rita..." (in the back of my mind I'm thinking maybe he thought he knew my sister from high school....who knows).  Seeing a look of confusion on his face, I continued, "and Grace."  His entire expression cleared as he explained, "Yes, your phone was turned in and your sister called it and I asked her to find another way to get in touch with you to let you know I had it.  But I didn't want to give the phone to just anyone, so I wanted to make sure it was really yours."

Praise God!  I had just gotten a new phone and it would have been such a pain to replace it again so soon, so I was extremely thankful.  After securing the phone we headed back to Clemson as we ended our enjoyable and interesting day.

The Run-Around

Today was an errand day.  Jonathan and I headed to Greenville so that I could meet a friend from his work who also wanted to say goodbye but couldn't come to the party.  We met her at Chick-Fil-A for lunch even though she wasn't able to stay long.  Then we headed to his haircut appointment and to get his glasses adjusted and new lenses ordered to replace the ones with a scratch that was covered under warranty.  Pretty hard to believe that a week from now we'll be headed to Rock Hill for me to move back and for him to fly to Arizona.  Crazy.

Ready, Set, Write!

Slept in some this morning, which was a very nice change of pace, especially after the busy weekend and my shoulders and back still being quite sore from the sunburn.  Yet another day of wearing a swimsuit around under my clothes to avoid painful rubbing.

Today was also our last official writing class for the summer other than our turn-in-work day on Friday.  It has been pretty cool teaching these great girls this summer.  Even though the writing has been interrupted by vacations and other such life events, the girls have worked hard to improve their writing skills, and the dedication definitely shows!  Each of them has written a research paper/essay, and I am thrilled with how well each did.

Looking forward to putting the sunburn behind me and enjoying the last week before I have to return to Rock Hill!

Homeward Bound

Today was a painful day.  Yes, there was a little sadness at having to leave beautiful Savannah, but let's be honest: the real pain came from my sunburn!  My whole back was inflamed when I woke up this morning.  I wore a swimsuit all day simply so that it would be less irritating to my burn than normal undergarments would be.  And I only wore a shirt about half of the time since we kept my back full of aloe.

We did enjoy some seafood for lunch, and went to a shop where several local artisans sell their work.  The highlight of that was finding the PERFECT gift for mom: a mean mother award!  Okay, so if you don't know the back story, that sounds really wrong, but let me explain.  For practically our whole lives, our mom has claimed she is vying for the "Mean Mother Award" (in other words, when she does something we don't like such as assign chores, etc, she claims she has to make sure she's being "mean" enough to win the award...)  It is a running joke in our family.  Anyway, we found one of the artists had done a calligraphy piece about "mean mothers" who make their children be responsible, eat healthy, tell the truth, etc.  It was perfect for her!

Afterwards, we went ahead and drove back to Columbia to drop off Grace and Jacob before going back to Clemson.  We were all pretty tired after all of the events of the weekend, but would have welcomed an extra day in Savannah still!

The Soul of Savannah

Such an awesome day with amazing people!  We went to Tybee Island to the beach.  Enjoyed the sand and surf and some amazing sandwiches (which were mostly free of actual sand) as well as a little too much sun.  It was so beautiful, and definitely a time to remember.  However, I must say it was a little outclassed by my evening.  Jonathan had been planning a surprise for months for our Savannah trip.  All I knew was that I needed to bring a dress, and a little later on, that it would just be the two of us doing whatever it was.

This morning he told me that he was taking me to Alligator Soul (a seriously amazing restaurant...just check out the link!) for dinner, just the two of us.  And that I wasn't, under any circumstances, to think about price or anything of that nature when ordering.  He showed me some pictures and the menu, and I have to say I was pretty impressed and very excited.  But that was nothing compared to when we actually arrived!  However, let me back up a little and say a little more about the time leading up to our arrival at the restaurant.

When we got back from Tybee, I hopped in the shower to start getting ready.  Jacob and Grace went to the pool, but Rita stayed and helped me as I tried to remove all the remnants of the beach still clinging to my person while trying to not aggravate the sunburn I could already feel on my back.  After spending nearly an hour getting ready (which for me practically amounts to a lifetime), I had donned a beautiful purple dress with a halter-esque top and my one and only pair of stiletto heels (in which I managed to not twist my ankle) and some of my favorite jewelry (gifts from this previous Christmas), as well as a touch of makeup (which I rarely wear).  I certainly felt ready for a monumental evening ;-).

As we got ready to leave, Jonathan and I had Grace take a few pictures of us in all our splendid apparel and then the rest of our group morphed into a chauffeur service ranging from driver (Rita), footman (Jacob), and photographer/back seat entertainment (Grace).  We arrived promptly at 5:30 at the restaurant (which was our reservation time).  The restaurant was built in an old wine cellar, so we had to go down a set of stairs from street level before we arrived in a beautiful underground room.  The service was magnificent, the food was divine, and the setting very romantic.  My guy did good! ;-)

After dinner, we headed to a nearby square and watched kids playing in the fountains until the others finished eating at the seafood restaurant they had chosen.  Then, they came back to let us into the van so I could get more comfortable footwear to walk the riverfront with them.  Or so I thought.  Upon their arrival, they informed us that they were going to disappear after letting us in the car and go do their own thing for the evening, so Jonathan and I were pleasantly surprised to find our date night extended.  We ended up taking a carriage tour that focused on Savannah history as dusk fell.  It was pretty awesome.

When the carriage ride ended, we headed to wander along the riverfront, and eventually found ourselves watching the trumpet player again while eating some excellent fudge.  The others found us there, with fudge and candy of their own from the riverfront shops.  After a short while together, though, I requested we return to the hotel so I could change into something that would be less aggravating to my increasingly painful sunburn, so we went back and watched some Olympics.  Grace knitted on her current project while the other four of us played spades (in which Jonathan and I were completely pounded into oblivion by Rita and Jacob), before we all headed to bed.

But wait, there's more!  In spite of our very tired selves, Rita and Grace and I stayed up chatting and catching up for another hour or two, which was so much fun and something we hadn't done in a really long time with Grace in Columbia all summer long.  So, even though by this point my back was on fire, it was a totally amazing day, and I enjoyed every minute!

Off to the beach!

SOOOO excited for Friday to finally arrive!  After having planned the Savannah trip for the past 3.5 months, it is so great to finally be going.  The 3 Musketeers (Rita, Jonathan, and I) headed out of town around noon (to let Jonathan get a little sleep after coming off night shift before we left), and went to pick up Grace from the Neffs, where she has been living over the summer while she works in Columbia.  Then we headed to pick up Jacob, her boyfriend, after he got off work and started back on the road for Savannah.

We arrived in town a little before 7 and checked into the hotel.  Although we had reserved two double bed rooms, the girls' room actually was upgraded to an executive suite due to the hotel overbooking on double rooms.  This was great because it gave us a great sitting room area to use as the group separate from the sleeping area.  However, we were all pretty hungry by this point, so we headed to downtown in search of a seafood restaurant.

Unfortunately, after searching around (but never quite making it to the riverfront) we didn't find what we were looking for and instead settled on pizza at a create-your-own place.  It was quite satisfying for our starving selves, and then we did go to the river and walk along.  Enjoyed some unexpected fireworks from across the river, then wandered along the riverfront.  Saw a trumpet player who was very amusing...he played songs for people walking by that were his commentary on them.  For example, one family with young children were serenaded with "If you're happy and you know it..." another couple who was obviously in love "My Guy/Girl," some passengers departing off of the ferry received "Gilligan's Isle."  It was every entertaining.

Before leaving the riverwalk we also visited one of the candy shops and watched a man pulling taffy, which was a cool experience.  I had never seen that before, and it was interesting to watch the interplay between the manual labor and the mechanical assistance as well.  By the time we headed back to the hotel, we were all pretty tired, but Jonathan and I went out again to pick up food for a picnic lunch on the beach for tomorrow before joining the others in slumber.

Nearing the end

Today was the second to last swim lesson for little miss Hannah.  She has come such a long way this year.  Last year when I taught her, getting her face wet up to her ears was quite the ordeal.  Now this same little girl has become fearless--bobbing up and down in the pool 50 times or more, swimming short distances unassisted, swimming the entire length of the pool using a float while putting her face in to blow bubbles, working toward beginner backstroke ("Airplane, soldier, chicken!").  So proud of her hard work to progress.

Also Jonathan's last day of work...so that was definitely exciting!  Thankful for God's provision to allow him the opportunity to move to Arizona and work with Grandview Ministries as they finish building their campus.  Totally will miss him bunches, but I know God will provide.  Grateful for the many ways God has worked already this year, and confidently waiting in expectation to see what He has in store next.

What a Wednesday

Such a different day than anticipated.  I thought I would have to go to Rock Hill yesterday for a team meeting, but since that was cancelled, I didn't actually end up going.  Thus, my lack of plans for this morning resulted in the opportunity to sleep in (a little).  Then, Jonathan ended up not having to work today so we went on errands to Greenville before coming home for dinner.

With mom out of town we had some meatloaf in the freezer so we did a homestyle dinner with meatloaf, corn on the cob, green beans, sweet potato, and blueberry cobbler made by Rita.  (I was very proud of her for making a fantastic cobbler considering she doesn't usually enjoy cooking).

After dinner, we played Rummikub before becoming completely distracted by and immersed in the Olympics.  Fun to just sit together with family and Jonathan and enjoy a relaxing evening!